Bering's first expedition. 23 



flour to Okhotsk, and gave the voivode orders to keep 

 in readiness six hundred horses to forward other neces- 

 saries for the expedition. 



From this point the expedition traveled an entirely 

 untrodden path, and the 1026 versts (685 miles) to 

 Okhotsk were a severe test of its endurance. Even in 

 our day, this journey can be made only under the great- 

 est difficulties. The region is rough and mountainous, 

 and intersected by deep streams without bridges or 

 other means of crossing. The traveler must traverse 

 dangerous swamps and tundras, or cut his way through 

 dense forests. In the winter the difficulties are doubled. 

 Horses, reindeer, and dogs soon become exhausted on 

 these unbroken roads. A space cleared in the snow, 

 where the cooking, eating, and sleeping are done, is the 

 only shelter. The temperature falls to — 46° R. (71° 

 Fahrenheit). Clothing must be changed daily to avoid 

 dampness, and when the poorgas (blizzards) sweep over 

 the snowy wastes, a few steps from camp are often 

 fatal. This is a description of that region in our day, 

 and it was hardly any more inviting over a hundred 

 and fifty years ago. 



It was found necessary to divide the expedition. 

 The branching tributaries of the Lena offered possi- 

 bilities for transportation which had to be taken advan- 

 tage of. Hence, as early as July 7, Lieut. Spangberg 

 was sent by river with thirteen rafts loaded with materi- 

 als, and a force of 204 workmen to reach Yudomskaya 

 Krest by way of the tributaries Aldan, Maya, and 

 Yudoma, and thence across a ridge down to the river 

 Urak, which flows into the Sea of Okhotsk. The over- 



